Who better to try to shut down Jack Eichel, the best player in college hockey, and Boston University than goalie Alex Lyon and his Yale teammates, who form the best defense in the nation? Yale made the 16-team NCAA Tournament field and will open against BU, the top seed in the Northeast Region Friday in Manchester, N.H. Lyon, a sophomore, leads the nation in goals-against average (1.5), save percentage (.939) and shutouts (seven), while Yale is tops in overall defense, allowing 1.59 goals a game. Eichel, the heralded freshman expected to be the first or second pick in the NHL draft, leads the nation at 1.83 points a game and BU, the Hockey East regular season and tournament champion, leads the nation with 3.89 goals a game. Yale missed the NCAA Tournament last season after winning the 2013 national title. ... Quinnipiac, which lost to Yale in that 2013 championship game, returns to the NCAA's for the third consecutive year. The Bobcats will open West Region play Friday against North Dakota in Fargo, N.D. Quinnipiac's leading scorer, sophomore Sam Anas, is questionable with a leg injury. … Both Yale and Quinnipiac headed into the weekend needing various conference tournaments to play out a certain way, and it all came together. They're both two victories from the Frozen Four in Boston, where this time they would meet in a national semifinal.

•Tim Tebow hung out at Manny Pacquiao camp in Los Angeles over the weekend and posted on Instagram, "Awesome being with my Filipino and Christian brother." Tebow, who worked out last week for the Eagles but is probably more likely to land a heavyweight title fight than a position of starting quarterback in the NFL, was born in the Philippines. … The Cubs just have to keep Kris Bryant with the big-league club, don't they? They can delay his free agency by a year (2021 instead of 2020) by starting him in the minors this season. But the kid has eight home runs in spring training and Cubs fans, more than any other, deserve any available reason to be excited each April. … Matt Harvey pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings as the Mets defeated the Yankees 6-0 in Port St. Lucie. The game featured a scary moment in the first during what ended as an inside-the-park home run by Juan Lagares off CC Sabathia. Yankees prospect Jose Pirela crashed into the outfield wall and hit his head on the ground, then was carted off and hospitalized. … The East Region heads to the Sweet 16 in Syracuse without its top two seeds, both familiar with early exits. A year after losing as a No. 2 seed (to UConn), top-seeded Villanova was sent home by N.C. State. And a year after losing as the No. 1 to Michigan State, Virginia, this time the No. 2 seed, again had its season end with a loss to the Spartans. … Is Duke the team with the best chance to upset Kentucky? The Blue Devils put together a thorough victory over San Diego State, 68-49. … Geno Auriemma and C. Vivian Stringer bring about 1,900 career victories into the NCAA second-round matchup between the UConn women and Rutgers Monday night at Gampel Pavilion. It's a 9 p.m. tip. Will more than 3,666 show up?